They are called the Ten Rings Gang. ”

In the back room of the bar, Merlin listened to his liquor supplier, Alepf, who had lived in Kandahar for generations, say what he knew.

"They were there in Kandahar very early. When I was younger, I heard my grandfather, who had died, say that long before the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, they had their own presence in Kandahar. My grandfather said that for a while, officials in the city were constantly being killed, and every bizarre death scene would have the sign of the Ten Commandments. ”

"My grandfather said that they were a group of forces that appeared on this land at a very early age. It is said that they fled from the East. The warriors who act in the dark, like the legendary Assasins, obey a powerful leader, who is said to be an immortal saint. ”

"Of course, these are just legends."

Alepf looked at the badge in Merlin's hand with some fear, and said:

"At the time, my grandfather used those stories as legends to scare me and my siblings, but then, a few years ago, when my business was at its highest, I actually met them."

"Where?"

Merlin asked.

"In the mountains south of Kandahar."

Aleph Says:

"There's a lot of canyons out there, and they're hiding in one of them. At that time, a friend of mine helped me take an order for a group of 'jihadist fighters' who wanted a lot of wine. But as you know, those who claim to be jihadists are the most paranoid and crazy believers, and drinking alcohol is a sinful act for them. ”

"That shows that they are not sincere, at least not as sincere as they advertise to the outside world."

Merlin said a word, which drew a frequent nod from Alep.

The wine merchant, recalling his experience several years ago, said to Merlin:

"I was a little hesitant at the time, and I knew the virtues of the mujahideen, and I was worried that something would go wrong. But at that time, my business needed money, so in the end, I took the business. ”

"I went to deliver it myself."

Aleph Says:

"They blindfolded me and went to their base with three trucks full of alcohol."

"It was a very remote canyon, full of people, Yuri, many, many, and very messy, and I saw more than just Arabs in it... There were many weapons piled up in the caves, all of them very advanced, and I saw the huge, well-tended fields carved out behind the ravine. ”

At this point, Alepf hesitated, unsure whether he should say what he saw.

Merlin guessed what Aleph was hesitating about, and he said:

"Those fields aren't supposed to be crops, right?"

"Hmm."

Alepf nodded, and he said in an accentuated tone:

"It's a very evil thing."

"Poison X."

Merlin's jaw was clear, and now all the key points were strung together.

"What else?"

Merlin asked, and Alepf shook his head:

"No, that's all. I was scared because the militants always behave inappropriately, but unexpectedly, the deal went smoothly, I didn't meet their leader, but the person in charge of the handover was happy to settle the account for me. They wanted more wine, but I refused. ”

"I'm not a particularly sincere person, but it's enough to go to that kind of place once."

"Oh, that's it."

Merlin was a little disappointed, and Alepf gave a little less news.

He and the dead militant before had said that the stronghold of the Ten Rings should be in the mountains south of Kandahar, but there were many canyons in the valley, and there was no way to lock down the location of the Ten Rings just by relying on this news.

"How many of them are there?"

Merlin asked.

"At least 400 people!"

Aleph recalled, saying:

"They carved caves in the canyon and lived in them. I saw their emblems on the tents, just like the ones you have in your hand, a lot like what some jihadist would make. But how to put it, those people give me a different feeling than the jihadists I've seen before. Like you said, they... Well, not sincerely. ”

"They're more like a bunch of fighters who have been armed."

"Sincere people don't sell X."

Merlin shook his head:

That is also a very wrong act in your doctrine. I know enough, thank you, Alef, and leave with your father, and in a few days I'll go to your liquor warehouse and settle the bill with you. ”

"Hmm."

Alepf beckoned his sons, who were outside, to come in, picked up his father, and prepared to leave. And just as he was leaving, he seemed to remember something again, and said to Merlin:

"One more thing, when I left the canyon, I seemed to see a few white people."

"Huh?"

Merlin looked at Alep, and he frowned and said:

"White people, how can they be in a base where a group of self-proclaimed mujahideen are located?"

"I'm absolutely not mistaken."

Aleph Says:

"Even though I was there for less than an hour, I remember them wearing black uniforms and a few of them wearing military uniforms, so I remember them quite clearly because they were dressed differently from the others."

"yes, I see."

Merlin nodded, and he watched as Aleph left in a hurry, then returned to the back room, took out his notebook, and jotted down the message.

Merlin's notebook had already jotted down many similar messages, and in the past few months, the clues to the Ten Rings Gang hiding near the city had become clearer and clearer.

But, there are still some less.

Some of the most critical.

Merlin didn't just come for the Ten Rings, Fury sent him here to find out the evidence of large-scale drug trafficking involving the CIA using the corpses of soldiers killed in battle.

The current situation suggests that the Ten Rings are supposed to be the providers of those drug X, but Merlin doesn't know much about the CIA's local news.

His peers have been hiding in this place for too long, and it is not so easy to find them.

The C.I.A. has a solid foothold in Afghanistan, where it began to build up power as early as the Cold War.

After the failed Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the CIA established a secretive but solid system here.

If Merlin finally finds out that the CIA is really involved in the evil X trafficking operation, it means that the CIA's system in Afghanistan may have been rotten from top to bottom.

That's an astonishing state of affairs, especially now that war is about to break out.

However, it is very troublesome that because of the CIA's decades of operation, they have a large number of local personnel and eyes and ears all over the land, which forces Merlin to conduct any investigation of the CIA must be carried out carefully.

He can't reveal his identity, he can only wait for the moment.

And, now there's another troublesome thing plaguing Merlin.

This mission, according to Fury's plan, should be over in a few months, Merlin thought so at first, but while he was lurking, something terrible happened.

It's November 1999, just a few months ago, and there was a shocking attack on the United States.

Although no official declaration of war has yet been made, the Ministry of Defense has begun to secretly send troops into Afghanistan to gather the necessary information about the war.

This also means that Fury's plan to keep Merlin away from New York to "avoid trouble" has completely failed.

According to Fury's message, the search for Merlin within the Ministry of Defense has not stopped.

Merlin and his team's actions led to the direct exposure of Sector 7, and several DoD-led programs were forced to join the supervision of the World Security Council, which meant that the Department of Defense's freedom of movement was disrupted.

This made those generals angry.

On the surface, they must admit their mistakes generously.

But in private, they also hate those who have done bad things. What's more, Merlin's actions not only gave the Ministry of Defense a slap on the cheek, but also caused them to lose considerable benefits.

If the vengeful generals find out that Merlin is operating in Afghanistan, then in this chaotic area far from home and where S.H.I.E.L.D. is weak, they will inevitably come up with a lot of ways to deal with Merlin, the guy who has caused them a lot of trouble.

"It's a real headache."

Merlin put down his notebook, and he returned to the bar, looking bored at the scenery outside the door, but in fact his mind was racing.

The direct intervention of the Department of Defense has once again turned the already chaotic situation in Afghanistan into a catastrophe, and the conflict between American GIs and local armed forces with a sense of revenge has intensified.

As an outpost of the war, the CIA's intelligence-gathering efforts in Afghanistan have also become increasingly intensive. In the month alone, Merlin had seen the traces of several agent actions in the neighborhood.

Merlin felt like he had fallen into a swamp caused by the war, and he had been stranded by this sudden war in a country that had been in turmoil for decades.

Of course, he could abandon his mission and return to New York.

But having put so much effort into this place and finding so many clues, even if Fury is willing to give up, Merlin himself is not.

He's not a guy who likes to do useless work.

"It's hard to make a quick breakthrough in the CIA's investigation in a short period of time."

Merlin thought with some regret:

"Unless I find their base camp and rush in to find evidence."

"So, change your mind, Ten Rings."

Merlin looked at the badge in his finger, and a general idea had emerged. A twinkle flashed in his eyes:

"It looks like we have to go to the canyon that Aleph was talking about, and if he was not mistaken, the white people in that canyon... Maybe somewhere, I can get some news. ”

With that up to his mind, Merlin had to get ready for action.

The mountainous area south of Kandahar is vast, the whole country is located in the Pamir Plateau, the unique topography of the Afghan region determines the number of canyons in the mountains is staggering, and most of those places are not very suitable for human action, and some of the canyons are also close to dangerous deserts, and the natural ecology is extremely harsh.

Even for a man like Merlin, if he was to explore the place for a long time, he would have to prepare a lot of necessary things.

Having made up his mind, Merlin looked at the little bar he had been opening for a few months with some regret.

In the past few months, he has remained lurking, but he has become accustomed to this kind of leisurely life, and seriously, this is the easiest time he has lived in the years since he joined S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Well, the bar owner's career is coming to an end."

He turned around, poured himself a glass of wine, and added some ice.

He leaned back against the bar, sipping on the cold liquid, and in the empty bar, Merlin closed his eyes and began to enjoy the last of his free time.

He's a guy who executes a lot, and tomorrow, he's going to start his own action.

May all the best of the best.